Musical instrument



(No Model.)

G. A. ERNST. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 456,027. Patented July 14.1891.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

GUSTAV A. ERNST, OF OAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,027, dated July 14, 1891.

' Application filed November 1l, 1890. Serial No. 371,073. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, GUSTAV A. ERNST, a citizen of the United States, residing at Camden, in the county of Camden, State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Musical Instruments, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

My invention consists of a musical instrument constructed as hereinafter described.

Figure l represents a front view of a musical instrument embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a side View of the said instrument.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a musical instrument formed of a body or sounding portion B, having the opening O therein, and the side pieces D, the latter eX- tending beyond the body portion and having the recess E between them, said recess thus being at the head end of the instrument. A cross-piece F connects the side pieces D near their outer ends for the purpose of strengthening the same and forming a support for the bridge-piece G, across which the strings Il are drawn. A second bridge-piece J is secured to the tail end of the body, and the said strings are fastened to the pins or studs K and then drawn over the said bridge-pieces J and G to the pegs L, which are fitted in the cross-piece F and are of the usual form for tuning the strings. Owing to the recess, the strings H are readily accessible to the lingers from the back of the instrument at the head thereof, so that while it is held in one of the hands the strings may be played by the iingers of one hand on the front and by the other hand from the back thereof. It will be noticed that the side pieces D, which extend from the head ofthe body, are of such length that a large portion of the strings is exposed on the rear of the instrument, and that the side pieces, which preferably are parallel, being in contact at their inner ends with but a small portion of the sounding-body, have little, if any, tendency to disturb the sound vibration.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A musical instrument having a hollow body with an opening therein, pieces projecting from the head of the said body and having a recess between them, a cross-piece connected to said sidepieces at or near the outer ends thereof, and strings connected with the tail end of the body and extending' across the opening therein and the recess between the side pieces, so as to be connected with pegs in the cross-piece, said parts being' combined substantially as described.

2. A musical instrument having a sounding -body with substantially parallel side pieces extending from the head thereof, a cross-piece connected with said side pieces at or near their outer ends, a bridge-piece at the tail end of the sounding-body, a bridge-piece on the sounding-body, and strings connected to the tail ends of the body and stretched across both bridge-pieces and secured with the said crosspiece, said parts being' combined substantially as described.

3. A musical instrument having a hollow body with an opening therein, side pieces connected to the heads of said body and extending therefrom, a cross-piece connecting' said side pieces, a bridge-piece on said body, and strings connected to the tail end of said body and stretched across said opening and bridge-piece attached to the said cross-piece, said parts being combined substantially as described.

l. A musical instrument having' a hollow body with an opening therein, and pieces eX- tending from the edge of the said body, forming a recess, a cross-piece connecting said side pieces, and a series of strings, each stretched across the opening and recess, connecting with the said cross-piece, said parts being' combined substantially as described.

GUS' AV A. ERNS' l/Vitnesses:

JOHN A. WIEDERsHnIn, Roer. ATToN. 

